By Jeremy Horne
July 28 2002

Middlesex’s batsmen played out a draw against Gloucestershire in order to maintain their unbeaten record. A result was always unlikely after the visitors had been set an imposing 362 to win in two and a half sessions. Resuming on 175-8 Gloucestershire needed to avoid losing early wickets in order to decrease the chances of setting Middlesex an achievable target. Middlesex were virtually out of the game when Jon Lewis and Craig Spearman had taken their stand to 72, before Lewis gave Phil Tufnell his 8th wicket of the innings. Unfortunately for Tufnell, Abdur Razzaq took the final wicket ending his hopes of claiming career best figures, but he still finished with an outstanding 8 for 66.

Middlesex began their chase well, but their slow scoring rate meant that the target was never going to be achieved. Ben Hutton and Sven Koenig both scored half centuries in a stand of 89 for the second wicket and Hutton looked odds on to score a hundred until he was caught of Ben Gannon for 88. Ed Joyce and Paul Weekes then shared in an unbroken stand of 51 to take Middlesex to 265-5, at which point the captain’s agreed on a draw.

Middlesex are now 15 points clear of Worcestershire at the top of the table, with Derbyshire a further point behind in third and Essex a further 2 behind in fourth.

Gloucestershire 1st innings: 494 (Gidman 94, Abdur Razzaq 5-125)

Middlesex 1st innings: 363 (Weekes 102)

Gloucestershire 2nd innings:

Hancock c Weekes b Tufnell 28
Russell b Tufnell 34
Taylor c Hutton b Tufnell 32
Windows c Strauss b Tufnell 21
Alleyne c Weekes b Tufnell 23
Gidman c Hutton b Tufnell 6
Fisher c Strauss b Weekes 5
Ball c Strauss b Tufnell 3
Lewis c Cook b Tufnell 30
Spearman Not out 35
Gannon lbw b Razzaq 0

Extras 13

Total (all out, 82.3 overs) 230

Middlesex 2nd innings: (Target: 362)

Strauss c Russell b Fisher 26
Koenig lbw b Ball 53
Hutton c Alleyne b Gannon 88
Razzaq c Russell b Gidman 14
Shah c Lewis b Gidman 5
Joyce Not out 32
Weekes Not out 37

Extras 10

Total (for 5 wickets, 80 overs) 265

Did not bat: Nash, Cook, Laraman, Tufnell

Result: Match Drawn

Points: Middlesex: 10, Gloucestershire 12